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News and Commentary About Books and WritersTue, 18 Dec 2018 18:38:39 +0000en-UShourly1You can help get books to incarcerated people this seasonhttps://www.mhpbooks.com/you-can-help-get-books-to-incarcerated-people-this-season/
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 05:15:24 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161889]]>Getting books to incarcerated people, and the many hurdles in the way, was perhaps theMobyLives topic of 2018.

This holiday season the good folks at NYC Books Through Bars–in a collaborative effort with the equally good folks at Greenlight Bookstore–are ramping up their efforts to get in demand books to those who need them most.

The non-profit organization tweeted about the initiative last week, and have already seen a surge in donations:

Its that time of year we like to ask for your help in filling our shelves with the most frequently requested books by people in prison. You can buy them off our wishlist at https://t.co/Idj85mVHQT

The most-needed book on the Books Through Bars wish list is the American Heritage Dictionary.

Other highly-requested books among prison populations include: Astrophysics: A Very Short Introduction, The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Michelle Alexander‘s The New Jim Crow, and so many more.

You can see the whole wish list and add your contribution through Greenlight’s website, and they’ll even take care of the shipping!

]]>Let the bidding war for John Kelly’s tell-all memoir begin!https://www.mhpbooks.com/let-the-bidding-war-for-john-kellys-tell-all-memoir-begin/
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 05:05:04 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161937]]>There are days when you look at your bank account and think to yourself, maybe I’ll go work in the Trump administration for a year, get fired, and write a tell-all of my time there.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Call me crazy, but consider that the bidding war for a memoir by Trump’s departing chief of staff John Kelly grew to $15 million, it makes you think. In a lengthy exclusive written by for the Daily Mail, Clinton biographer Jerry Oppenheimer revealed: “In anticipation of the high demand for an inside look into Trump’s White House, publishers said they are ready to fork over as much as a $15 million advance—which would make the deal one of the biggest in book publishing history.”

Cha-ching?

Not quite. According to Oppenheimer, publishing executives (who go unnamed in the piece) reportedly want to ensure their investment pays off in a much bigger way than James Comey‘s (remember him?) $2 million dollar advance for his memoir A Higher Loyalty, which only sold a paltry million copies. In one executive’s words, they’re hoping Kelly’s as-yet-to-be-written memoir sells “a ton more copies.”

Oppenheimer goes on to note: “In order to secure a top deal, Kelly will be expected to deliver bombshell revelations about President Trump and the inner workings of the White House, including the truth about son-in-law Jarded Kushner‘s ties to Saudi Arabia. He will also be expected to share the backstories of White House dramas including the firing of Omarosa Manigault Newman and Rob Porter.”

Ok, so maybe making a cool $15 million is not as easy as just surviving a year with Trump as your boss…

]]>Denver Public Library is closing a chapter on overdue book fineshttps://www.mhpbooks.com/denver-public-library-is-closing-a-chapter-on-overdue-book-fines/
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 05:00:37 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161919]]>Elizabeth Hernandez of the Denver Post reports that Denver Public Library is allowing library patrons to start fresh with their overdue fines.

A news release from the library estimates $474,000 of fines are owed right now by 85,000 people. Library administrators are concerned that overtime, unpaid fines discourage people from coming back to the library. Librarian Michelle Jeske says, “Public libraries are all about access, and going fine free is one more way we can increase access to our collections and services. Access has a dividend for Denver–we all benefit from a curious and engaged community. Increasing library use and increasing material circulation is a win-win for all.”

According to Andrew Kenny of the Denver Post, Mayor Michael Hancock and his administration agree. Mayor Hancock is working with the library and other organizations in the city to be a resource for underserved people in the community. The mayor’s 2019 budget includes plans to hire library staff members to help patrons with housing services and mental health. The mayor believes “small items that can make a big difference in people’s lives.”

]]>FTC reviewing possible acquisition of Baker and Taylor by Ingram Content Grouphttps://www.mhpbooks.com/ftc-reviewing-possible-acquisition-of-baker-and-taylor-by-ingram-content-group/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 05:10:01 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161870]]>According to reports in Shelf Awareness and Publishers Weekly, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the USA‘s preeminent trust-busting agency, is conducting preliminary research into the possible acquisition of book and media wholesaler/distributor Baker and Taylor by Ingram Content Group, the Tennessee based publishing-services juggernaut.

Multiple sources, speaking confidentially to reporters at Shelf Awareness and Jim Milliot and Judith Rosen at Publishers Weekly, claimed to have been interviewed by investigators at the FTC, who inquired about the possible impact of such an acquisition. Milliot and Rosen report that the FTC solicited input from Amazon, the major chains (Barnes and Noble and Books a Million, presumably), and a group of independent retailers.

If the deal is allowed to go through, which seems likely at this point (hard to imagine the same FTC that gave the thumbs up to the AT&T/Time Warner deal would scuttle this), the world of book retail would be left with a single wholesale partner; a frightening proposition to many independents and a new hurdle for an already struggling B&N.

“To our knowledge, there has never been an instance in the book business when the elimination of competition–and a further concentration of decision-making in fewer hands–has worked to the advantage of booksellers, publishers, or authors, let alone the reading public. We hope these reports prove to be untrue.”

Neither B&T or Ingram (both privately held) would confirm or deny speculations at the time of this writing.

]]>In desperate need to understand the Dutch stock market of the 1600s? Have we got a book for you.https://www.mhpbooks.com/in-desperate-need-to-understand-the-dutch-stock-market-of-the-1600s-have-we-got-a-book-for-you/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 05:05:32 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161891]]>Last week, the international auctioneer Sotheby’s sent the first known book on the stock market to auction. Starting price? About $300,000.

Photo viaKiwihug/Unsplash

According to James Tarmy at Bloomberg Money, the book dates back to 1688, written by Joseph Penso de la Vega, a Sephardic Jew who lived in the Netherlands and wanted to help other immigrants to the country better understand the stock market at the time.

Tarmy spoke with Selby Kiffer, an international senior specialist in Sotheby’s books and manuscripts department, who says the book was most likely “aimed at [the] Sephardic community.” Kiffer is also in charge of the sale.

Called The Confusion of Confusions, Vega’s book reads as a guide and primer for those 17th century newcomers looking to better understand the Dutch market. “Vega expresses a desire to dispel ‘confusion’ about the exchange, adding that he’d like to provide a few warnings about less-than-honest practices.”

“Vega, Kiffer says, ‘describes the market as an honest operation and an honorable business, but he nevertheless warns readers that there are some people who will try to take advantage of you.’ The text is written as a series of dialogues among what Sotheby’s describes as ‘stock characters,’ including a philosopher, a merchant, and a shareholder.”

While the book found its way out of obscurity in the late 19th century, Dutch and German translations led to an eventual English translation in 1959 (one can purchase the book now for $30). This specific one, however, is a first edition and, according to Sotheby’s, one of only ten left in existence.

So, if you have a couple hundred grand to spare, you got until the 17th of December to get your hands on this first edition.

]]>The importance of the novella: Lady Susan by Jane Austenhttps://www.mhpbooks.com/the-importance-of-the-novella-lady-susan-by-jane-austen/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 05:00:45 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161922]]>Perhaps one of the things Melville House is known for is celebrating a specific renegade art form: the novella. Here on our MobyLives blog, we’re diving into a post series in which we’ll discuss and highlight novellas from our catalogue. In this second installment, we’re taking a closer look at Lady Susan by Jane Austen.

Fun Facts:Lady Susan by Jane AustenOriginally Published: Claimed to have been written between 1793-1794; first published in 1871 in Edward Austen-Leigh’s A Memoir of Jane AustenMelville House Publication Date:March 2011Page Count: 96

Overview:
Jane Austen’s Lady Susan is a strange and important early work from one of literature’s masters. Before getting into details about the story, it’s worth noting that the author never sought out publication of this particular story. The reasons remain unknown. Austen was a teenager when she wrote the novella, using an epistolary structure that was popular during the time. The finished manuscript remained unpublished during her lifetime. It also happens to be her first completed book.

The story is all about the one and only Lady Susan Vernon, who is every bit as charming and charismatic as you could imagine, all the while being recently widowed. Lady Susan Vernon visits her in-laws, Charles and Catherine Vernon, at their residence in Churchill. If it involves in-laws you bet someone isn’t looking forward to the encounter. Catherine Vernon is upset that Lady Susan didn’t give them enough notice and holds a grudge because Lady Susan tried to stop the marriage of Charles and Catherine from occurring, plus Catherine remains skeptical and judging of Lady Susan and her various conquests.

The drama plays itself out across a propulsive sequence of letters and correspondence. Lady Susan is a beautifully melodramatic novella, one that acts as an anchor for the rest of our Art of the Novella series. In Lady Susan, readers get to see a young Jane Austen experimenting with form and drama in a manner that might not have been possible if it were under different literary constraints.

THE FIRST TWO LETTERS

I. LADY SUSAN VERNON TO MR. VERNON

Langford, Dec.

My dear brother,
I can no longer refuse myself the pleasure of profiting by your kind invitation when we last parted, of spending some weeks with you at Churchill, and, therefore, if quite convenient to you and Mrs. Vernon to receive me at present, I shall hope within a few days to be introduced to a sister whom I have so long desired to be acquainted with. My kind friends here are most affectionately urgent with me to prolong my stay, but their hospitable and cheerful dispositions lead them too much into society for my present situation and state of mind; and I impatiently look forward to the hour when I shall be admitted into Your delightful retirement.

I long to be made known to your dear little children, in whose hearts I shall be very eager to secure an interest. I shall soon have occasion for all my fortitude, as I am on the point of separation from my own daughter. The long illness of her dear father prevented my paying her that attention which duty and affection equally dictated, and I have but too much reason to fear that the governess to whose care I consigned her was unequal to the charge. I have therefore resolved on placing her at one of the best private schools in town, where I shall have an opportunity of leaving her myself, in my way to you. I am determined, you see, not to be denied admittance at Churchill. It would indeed give me most painful sensations to know that it were not in your power to receive me.
Your most obliged and affectionate sister,

S. VERNON.

II. LADY SUSAN VERNON TO MRS. JOHNSON

Langford

You were mistaken, my dear Alicia, in supposing me fixed at this place for the rest of the winter. It grieves me to say how greatly you were mistaken, for I have seldom spent three months more agreeably than those which have just flown away. At present, nothing goes smoothly. The females of the family are united against me. You foretold how it would be when I first came to Langford; and Manwaring is so uncommonly pleasing that I was not without apprehensions myself. I remember saying to myself as I drove to the house, “I like this man; pray Heaven no harm come of it!” But I was determined to be discreet, to bear in mind my being only four months a widow, and to be as quiet as possible—and I have been so, my dear creature; I have admitted no one’s attentions but Manwaring’s. I have avoided all general flirtation whatever; I have distinguished no creature besides, of all the numbers resorting hither, except Sir James Martin, on whom I bestowed a little notice in order to detach him from Miss Manwaring. But, if the world could know my motive THERE, they would honour me. I have been called an unkind mother, but it was the sacred impulse of maternal affection, it was the advantage of my daughter that led me on; and if that daughter were not the greatest simpleton on earth, I might have been rewarded for my exertions as I ought—Sir James did make proposals to me for Frederica—but Frederica, who was born to be the torment of my life, chose to set herself so violently against the match that I thought it better to lay aside the scheme for the present. I have more than once repented that I did not marry him myself, and were he but one degree less contemptibly weak I certainly should, but I must own myself rather romantic in that respect, and that riches only will not satisfy me. The event of all this is very provoking. Sir James is gone, Maria highly incensed, and Mrs. Manwaring insupportably jealous; so jealous, in short, and so enraged against me, that in the fury of her temper I should not be surprised at her appealing to her guardian if she had the liberty of addressing him—but there your husband stands my friend, and the kindest, most amiable action of his life was his throwing her off forever on her marriage. Keep up his resentment, therefore, I charge you. We are now in a sad state; no house was ever more altered; the whole family are at war, and Manwaring scarcely dares speak to me. It is time for me to be gone; I have therefore determined on leaving them, and shall spend I hope, a comfortable day with you in town within this week. If I am as little in favour with Mr. Johnson as ever, you must come to me at No.10, Wigmore St.—but I hope this may not be the case, for as Mr. Johnson, with all his faults, is a man to whom that great word “Respectable” is always given, and I am known to be so intimate with his wife, his slighting me has an awkward look. I take town in my way to that insupportable spot, a country village, for I am really going to Churchill. Forgive me, my dear friend, it is my last resource. Were there another place in England open to me, I would prefer it. Charles Vernon is my aversion, and I am afraid of his wife. At Churchill, however, I must remain till I have something better in view. My young lady accompanies me to town, where I shall deposit her under the care of Miss Summers in Wigmore Street, till she becomes a little more reasonable. She will made good connections there, as the girls are all of the best families. The price is immense, and much beyond what I can ever attempt to pay.
Adieu, I will send you a line, as soon as I arrive in town.
Yours ever,

S. VERNON.

]]>Is it time to stop taxing ebooks?https://www.mhpbooks.com/is-it-time-to-stop-taxing-ebooks/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:15:35 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161844]]>Nothing is certain but death and taxes, so says the old proverb.

Yet while we are all embarking on our slow decline to death (Merry Christmas everyone!) the tax we pay along the way varies dramatically. In the US you pay a sales tax, which I recently learned can vary wildly from state to state, on average between 2.9% and 7.25% of the price of goods purchased. That blew my mind, as in the UK we pay Valued Added Tax (VAT) across the board of a whopping 20% on goods and services.

VAT was first introduced back in the 1970s, when the UK joined the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union (EU). In 2015 Rita de la Feria, professor of tax law at Durham University explained to Camila Ruz and Maisie Smith-Walters of the BBC:

“Basically the idea was to protect lower income households… Anything that was a luxury was subject to VAT, anything basic was exempt.

“The decisions were based on evidence available in 1972.”

The resultant law, forty-six years later, is a weird mishmash of old and new. Fancy a delicious chocolatey-orange snack? Jaffa Cakes are exempt. Nuts with their shells on: exempt. Nuts without shells: tax please! Oh, the luxury of not having to de-shell your own nuts. Tampons are taxed, although at a lesser rate of 5%. There has been uproar for years on the so called ‘tampon tax’ which presumes women not bleeding all over the floor every month is a luxury. As for books, they are not subject to VAT, to avoid the idea of a tax on knowledge. Physical books, that is. On e-books in the UK, everyone pays 20% tax. Confused yet?

Things might be about to change for the UK e-book. The EU, that pesky organisation that promotes freedom of movement and protects human rights andpolitical freedoms, which we’re so keen to escape from, has issued new legislation this week allowing member states to reduce or do away with VAT on digital publications. Stephen Lotinga, chief executive of the Publisher’s Association, is due to discuss the issue today with the Treasury, the British government department responsible for developing and executing the government’s public finance policy and economic policy. He told Alison Flood at the Guardian:

“Zero-rating digital publications is a change that will not only put money into the pocket of consumers, but also benefit authors, publishers and the wider UK economy. Reading is a social good, regardless of whether we read pixels or ink. That’s why we’re calling on the government to stick to its principles of not taxing knowledge by acting urgently to axe the reading tax,”

“The UK government has long said its hands are tied by EU law on this illogical and unfair tax – not any more.”

It does only seem fair e-books catch up with physical books: a book is a book is a book. The National Literacy Trust director Jonathan Douglas pointed out to Flood that his new research showed that “one in five children now read books online, and that children are spending almost three times as long reading online every day than they are reading in print.”

Diana Gerald, the BookTrust chief executive added that the tax was “discriminatory” against blind and partially sighted people who use digital publications more. And earlier this year, the PA reported that according to Nielsen, over fifty-fives make up a third of e-book readers.

It turns out e-books enhance reading experiences for many. Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins and president of the PA said to Flood the tax was:

“illogical, unfair and discriminates against all kinds of readers”.

“In or out of the EU, whatever kind of Brexit is approaching, the opportunity exists to change this anomaly of the tax system and we should seize it.”

This is all too true. With a no-deal Brexit still a possibility, the realities and timelines of when the UK will leave the EU is still unknown. A change sooner is better than later.

And who is to say what future taxes will look like once the UK departs? Economic predictions from the UK government itself have shown, as reported by the BBC, that the UK economy could be up to 3.9% smaller under Theresa May’s Brexit plan even after fifteen years, compared with staying in the EU, and that a no-deal Brexit could decrease the economy by 9.3%. So while abolishing VAT on digital publications may be good for readers (an independent study for the PA by Frontier Economics saying it could put “up to £210m” back into the pockets of consumers) the UK government will be out of pocket. Will the lowering and abolishing of certain tax rules really be on the cards then?

Axe the tax, now!

]]>A Pushcart Prize nominated poet is suspected of plagiarismhttps://www.mhpbooks.com/a-pushcart-prize-nominated-poet-is-suspected-of-plagiarism/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:10:33 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161773]]>Following mounting allegations of plagiarism that surfaced on Twitter this past weekend, Pushcart Prize-nominated poet Ailey O’Toole‘s forthcoming book has been cancelled, and many of the publications that previously published her work have removed the poems from their site. For the Guardian, Alison Floodreports that O’Toole’s poem, “Gun Metal” came under fire when fellow poet Rachel McKibbens tweeted that several parts of the poem read suspiciously similar to one of her own poems.

Photo via Álvaro Serrano/Unsplash

McKibbens was even contacted by O’Toole, following her prize nomination and notified by the poet of her ‘paraphrasing’ of McKibbens’s work. “McKibbens said she was contacted by O’Toole that day to inform her that she had ‘paraphrased a stanza’ from three strikes,” writes Flood, “and that, ‘over time, the origin of the stanza slipped my mind … I hope you can understand it was not my intention to pass your work off as my own and I am deeply ashamed of this mistake.'”

McKibbens’s poetry collection, blud, is an autobiographical look at the poet’s life and uses vivid imagery to recount a painful childhood. O’Toole lifted one of those images, that of spitting teeth into the sink, in her own poem without crediting McKibbens.

According to Flood and other sources, McKibbens isn’t the only emerging poet whose work has been found in O’Toole’s own poems. “After McKibbens spoke out,” writes Flood, “other poets came forward with examples of their work appearing in O’Toole’s verse. Wanda Deglane alleged that O’Toole had ‘borrowed‘ lines from some of her poetry after Deglane had shown her one of her manuscripts, while Christina Stoddard, Brenna Twohy and Hieu Minh Nguyenall identified appropriated lines, including one in Twohy’s poem January that appears in “Gun Metal”: “Look into my mouth. this endless angry thing. you have no idea how much I can consume.”

Flood spoke to the president of the Pushcart prizes, Bill Henderson, who said: “We will of course not reprint any poem that is plagiarised. We receive over 8,000 nominations a year and are very careful to check each of our 70-plus winners before going to press in May. This will be our practice in this alleged case … For 43 years, the Pushcart prize has been plagiarism-free, and a wonderful recognition for all our poets and the small presses that publish them.”

]]>Want your own little piece of Japanese architecture on your bookshelf?https://www.mhpbooks.com/want-your-own-little-piece-of-japanese-architecture-on-your-bookshelf/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:05:06 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161832]]>We love crafty things and crafty people. Maybe that’s just an extension of being a book lover, but by golly, does it bring us joy. So when we heard about these super cool new bookshelf inserts that’ve been circulatingtheInternet, we couldn’t resist.

Japanese artist Monde makes incredibly intricate and detailed miniature-scale models of the picturesquetightJapanesealleyways out of wood to be used as shelf inserts, and they’re really damn cool. They even come with working light switches! Perfect for the adult who’s not quite outgrown night-lights, but still wants to affect maturation.

Want one of your own? Monde currently accepts orders through Twitter direct messages, but beware of any online stores that proclaim they stock these crafty inserts; the only official stocker is Monde himself.

Alley back bookshelf seems to be on sale at a web shop I do not know. Please be careful. The window is only DM here. In case

]]>New anime series to include well known Blade Runner charactershttps://www.mhpbooks.com/new-anime-series-to-include-well-known-blade-runner-characters/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:00:21 +0000https://www.mhpbooks.com/?p=161851]]>Some replicants are headed to your television screen in the not-so-distant future.

A new anime series, Blade Runner-Black Lotus, was recently announced by Alcon Television Group. The group is partnering Adult Swim and Crunchyroll to produce the series, which is currently slated for 13 half-hour episodes. Though details about the plot are currently vague, it’s been confirmed that the series is heavily inspired by the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049, will star several familiar faces from the Blade Runner franchise, and will take place in the year 2032.

Where do we come in? With one of our forthcoming books, The Wall Will Tell You by Hampton Fancher, screenwriter for both the original Blade Runner and the 2017 sequel. Here’s a run-down of what the book’s about:

“The master speaks, in this unique guide for screenwriters – and writers and artists of all kinds.

In short paragraphs–oracular and enigmatic, hard hitting and concrete–the man Forbes called a “creative genius” writes a guide book like none other for the aspiring screenwriter. Learn how to write living, breathing characters, exciting action and plot, and develop your own artistic vision. And learn how to never compromise that vision, most importantly, with yourself.”

There’s no shortage of praise for Hampton’s writing–from fans, critics, and especially the people working on the new series:

“The Blade Runner universe is an incredibly deep well for story and character with its world and mythology that audiences have been debating and talking about since inception,” say Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, executive producers at Alcon.

“Blade Runner is a seminal work, and its influence permeates the genre,” says Sae Whan Song, head of business development for Crunchyroll.

“[The original Blade Runner] has remained one of the defining films of my life,” says Adult Swim’s creative director Jason DeMarco. “To be able to explore more of this universe, with the incredible talent we have on board, is a dream come true.”